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HVAC cost · California

What a new HVAC system costsin California

From 31 real quotes that homeowners in California received. Not a calculator, not an estimate.

The short answer

Middle price$13,751

The middle quote for a full system (a furnace or air handler plus the outdoor unit) in California was $13,751, across 31 real quotes. Half of them fell between $12,069 and $15,600; the full range ran from $9,640 to $36,500.

That is 6% below the middle of all 209 full-system quotes in the database ($14,600).

Price per ton

Dividing each price by the system's size lets a big house and a small one be compared. The middle California quote came to $3,979 per ton of cooling, across 31 quotes that state a size, and the middle system was 3.5 tons.

Brands on these quotes

The name on the outdoor unit, and how many of the 31 California full-system quotes carried it. A count, not a ranking: too few quotes per brand to price them separately here. The price index compares brands across every state.

  • American Standard 7
  • Carrier 5
  • AC Pro 3
  • Daikin 2
  • Lennox 2
  • Mitsubishi 2
  • Rheem 2
  • Bosch 1

Before you sign a quote in California

  • Ask for the load calculation. The size should come from a room-by-room calculation (called a Manual J), not the size of the old unit.
  • Ask what's included. Equipment, labor, permit, removal of the old unit and the startup readings, each named. Six questions worth asking.
  • Ask about the permit. Most towns require one for a replacement, not only a first install. Why it matters.
  • Read the model numbers. They say what you are actually being sold. How to read them.

Holding a quote now? The Quote X-Ray reads it line by line and sets it against these quotes, for free. Or see every California quote in the database.

How to read these numbers

  • These are quotes, what a contractor proposed, not final invoices. Scope varies: some include ductwork, a thermostat or a permit and some don't.
  • The middle price is the median: half the quotes were lower and half higher. It moves less than an average when one quote is unusually high.
  • 31 quotes is a real sample, not a survey of the state. Prices differ across a state, and one city can sit well above or below this.
  • The quotes are dated from January 2026 to September 2026. The page updates as new quotes arrive.

Other states